Watchdog: Steve’s PPV Criteria: Vargas vs Mosley
By Steve Hudgins (February 25, 2006)  
Photo © HBO-PPV
THE PURPOSE: I don't think any one fight can be made in boxing today, that alone, is worth the price of a PPV. Unless of course, they can conjure up Dempsey vs Marciano or Joe Louis, but until that day comes, I want some quantity to go along with quality!

I say, if they want us to shell out 30, 40 sometimes 50 bucks per PPV, they should give us some bang for our buck! The card should be solid from top to bottom! Or at least it should be so top heavy with excellent fights that they can get away with a showcase fight to kick off the festivities, but these 2 or 3 showcase fights and 1 decent to mega main event PPV's are for the birds! (My apologies to any of the birds I may have offended with that statement.)

SO HERE'S MY SYSTEM:

I preview and rate every fight that is scheduled to be televised on a PPV Boxing Card, and try to determine whether that card is worth purchasing or not based on my point system below.

Please note that at the end of each preview, I will mention what weight class the bout is being fought at and where each fighter ranks within that weight class. This is done by using ‘The Ring’ ratings.

HERE'S HOW STEVE'S PPV CRITERIA WORKS!

POINTS:

6 = MEGA MATCHUP
5 = Excellent Matchup
4 = Good Matchup
3 = Decent Matchup
2 = OK Matchup
1 = Bad Matchup

If a fight is scheduled to be televised on the card, it gets at least 1 point. This helps to reward quantity.

POINT SYSTEM:

14 or higher = GET IT!

13 = If you can find someone to split it with you or the price of the PPV is $24.99 or less, GET IT!

12 = If you can find someone to split it with you or the price of the PPV is $19.99 or less CONSIDER getting it.

11 = If you can find a place that is showing it, or get enough people over to split it with you, so that you are not paying more than 10 dollars for the card, CONSIDER getting it.

10 or under = Save your money and sleep well at night knowing you didn't get ripped off!

AND AWAY WE GO!

February 25th - PPV PRICE: $44.95 
.
FERNANDO VARGAS 26-2 (22) vs SHANE MOSLEY 41-4 (35)

A fairly even matchup between two fighters who are past their prime. This fight would have been great had it taken place about 4 years ago, but better late than never. It should still be a pretty entertaining fight, especially if Mosley lets the combo's go rather than going the one punch at a time route, a habit he has occasionally picked up in his later years. Both fighters appear to be in great shape, they're talking a good game, I expect a pretty good fight to break out here and I think it's a coin flip as to who wins.

*Fernando Vargas is rated #4 at Jr Middleweight (154lbs) - Shane Mosley is rated #4 at Welterweight (147lbs) - This fight will take place at Jr Middleweight
(154 lbs)

SCORE = 4

JHONNY GONZALEZ 31-4 (27) vs MARK JOHNSON 44-4 (28 KO's)

If you haven't seen Jhonny Gonzalez fight yet, you've been missing out. He's kind of like the Arturo Gatti of the Bantamweight division, he can box or bang and is seldom in a bad fight. Marc Johnson is well past his prime, and just how far gone he is will dictate how good of a fight we have here. It has the potential to be a barn burner if Johnson still has a little something left in the tank.

*Jhonny Gonzalez is rated #4 at Bantamweight (118 lbs) - Marc Johnson is not rated*

SCORE = 4

CALVIN BROCK 27-0 (2) vs ZURI LAWRENCE 20-10-4:

Brock took a minor step up last year when he decisioned Jameel McCLine, but since then he has gone back to fighting stiffs and actually any shine
the McCline victory had was taken off after Mcline also lost to Zuri Lawrence. Brock is not an exciting fighter to watch and Lawrence, who has no power whatsoever doesn't make this match anymore attractive. As a matter of fact, this is a dreadfully boring matchup and it may very well put everyone to sleep before they get a chance to watch the rest of the card.

*Calvin Brock is rated #7 at Heavyweight (200+ lbs) - Zuri Lawrence is not rated*

SCORE = 1

FINAL SCORE = 9

SUMMARY:  HBO wanted to put Fernando Vargas vs Shane Mosley on REGULAR HBO. That's right! We all can and should be watching the Vargas/Mosley and Gonzalez/Johnson fights as a solid doubleheader for FREE on HBO! However, Golden Boy Promotions decided to turn that idea down and make it a PPV instead, in hopes of pocketing a little more cash. So they throw an awful heavyweight matchup on the card and slap a $44.95 price tag on it! Plus they don't even have the common decency of rewarding the poor folks who will give into their greed, with a 4th fight on the PPV! They decided to play it cheap, once again, and go with a 3 fight PPV card. An all too common occurence for a Golden Boy Promotion's PPV. I find these moves insulting. They are bad for the sport of boxing. Not only will they not be getting into my wallet, but they can pucker up and give me a nice big fat kiss right where I keep it!
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